Revolving door



Dec. 4, 1934. w. s. ELY ET AL REVOLVING DOOR Filed Nov. 17, 1953 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS H4 uE/2 S. EZY BY form/v0 PERE/V/ mm A'ITORN EYDec. 4, 1934. r w. s. ELY ET AL 1,983,353

REVOLVING DOOR Filed Nov. 17, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY D 1934- w.s. ELY ET AL ,9

REVOLVING DOOR Filed Nov. 17, 1955 E SheetS-Sheet 5 lumm INVENTORS lKVLTER 5. ELY

fa/w/vo PERI/W ATTQRNEY- Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE REVOLVING DOOR tion of New York Application November 17, 1933,Serial No. 698,482

10 Claims.

This invention relates to revolving doors, and has for an object toprovide an improved revolving door of the type in which the severalleaves are normally retained in fixed radial positions with reference toa central column, but in which the leaves may yield and may be swung toa collapsed condition when subjected to abnormal pressure. 1

It is an object of the invention to provide door of this type in whichthe leaves are adequately and securely supported in their normalpositions but without resort to the usual connecting chains betweenadjacent leaves.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for limitingthe speed at which the collapsing and restoring movements of the leavesare effected.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a door structure whichis thoroughly sealed against the admission of drafts,

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation illustrating a door embodyingfeatures of the in- Vention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal, sectional view of the door of Figure 1 with adotted line showing of the door leaves collapsed and moved to one sideof the door opening;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the door leaf assembly, the view beingbroken away intermediate its ends for compactness of illustration;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view showing the door leaves infolded condition;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the structure ofFigure 4 as viewed from the left of said figure;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, sectional elevation taken on the line 6-6 ofFigure 9. Attention is called to the fact that the section line is alongtwo radii at right angles to one another, and that the leavesillustrated are adjacent and not opposite leaves;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional View of the lower portionof the door;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, sectional, plan View illustratingparticularly the speed control and detent mechanism;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view taken on the line99 of Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of one of the hubs for supporting theleaves;

Figure 11 is a, perspective View of a leaf hanger;

and

I Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the contour of a portionof a speed control and leaf detaining cam disc.

The doorway comprises the usual arcuate guides 1 erected in a buildingstructure, a floor 2 and a suitable top or ceiling wall 3. The doorcomprises a pair of opposed leaves 4 and a pair of opposed leaves .5quadrangularly related to the leaves 4, all suspended from a verticalcenter shaft 6 which is .revolubly supported from a trolley '7. Thetrolley, in turn, is mounted upon a track 8 above the ceiling wall 3.

Hubs 9 are made fast to the shaft 6 near the upper and lower endsthereof. The hubs are duplicates of one another, but are quadrangularlyre1ated,the arrangement being such that the upper hub supports theopposed leaves 4, while the lower hub supports the opposed leaves 5.Each hub includes a tubular portion 10 which fits the shaft 6 and whichis fixedly secured to the shaft in any suitable manner. Each hub alsoincludes pintle blocks 11 and 12 integral with. the tubular portion 10.The opposed blocks 11 are duplicates of one another and the opposedblocks 12 are duplicates of one another. Each of the blocks is providedwitha bore 13 in which a pin 14 is supported upon a ball bearing 15. Theball bearing is, in turn, supported in the upper concave face of anadjustable screw '16 which is threaded upward into the pintle block frombelow. Each pintle pin includes a flange 17 which stands substantiallyflush with, but a little above, the top of the block in which it ismounted. The screw 16 may be adjusted to raise or lower the associatedpintle pin to locate the flange 17 thereof in proper relation to the topof the pintle block to causethe weight of the associated leaf to beborne substantially by the flange.

Each pintle block also has fixed in it a bearing pin l8'which extendsdownward below the lower surface of the hub. Each pin 18 of the lowerhub is in alignment with a pin 14 of the upper hub, and each pin 14 ofthe upper hub is in alignment with a pin 18 of the lower hub. The pins14 of the upper hub form supports and alternative pivots for the leaves4 about which said leaves may be folded in one direction or the other tocollapsed condition, and the aligned pins 18 of the lower hub formcoaxial bearings for assisting in maintaining the axis of rotationsubstantially parallel to the axis of the shaft 6. Similarly the pins 14of the lower hub form supports and alternative pivots for the leaves 5about which said leaves may be folded in one direction or the other tocollapsed condition, and the aligned pins 18 of the upper hub formcoaxial bearings for assisting in maintaining the axis of rotationsubstantally parallel to the axis of the shaft 6.

The supporting of the leaves on the pintle pin flanges 17 is desirablesince it conduces to free swinging of the leaves and avoids the tendencyof the leaves to pull away from the pivots which is found to be presentwhen the leaf is allowed to run in frictional engagement with the topsof the pintle blocks.

Each of the leaves 4 includes a hanger 19 which is set into the leafnear the upper end thereof, and which includes two bearings 20. Thebearings of each leaf rest upon two of the pin flanges 17 of the upperhub, and partially embrace the pins, the bearings being open at theirinner ends to permit them to separate freely from the asso-.

ciated pins. These same leaves 4 have similar but inverted hangers atthe lower ends for cooperating in a similar manner with the lower pins18 of the lower hub, the only difference being that the active pin 14turns freely with the door leaf, whereas the lower inactive pin 18 isstationary and acts merely as a bearing for the door leaf. Each hub issurrounded by upper and lower filler sleeves 21 and 22 for fillingspaces which would otherwise be open between the hub and the associatedhanger, and each hanger includes a tongue 23, the inner end of whichnormally lies within a slot of the filler sleeve to assure an effectiveseal against drafts.

Provision is made at the upper and lower end of each leaf of means forholding the leaf bearings yieldingly but firmly against the twoassociated pins of the hub. To this end a latch 24 which is desirablyformed of wear resisting steel and which constitutes a force multiplyingelement is pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 25 carried by the hub. Thelatch partially embraces a roller 26 which is pivotally mounted in theassociated hanger A swivel link 27 is pivotally mounted upon an upwardlyextending bearing pin 28 carried by the latch, and the swivel link is,in turn, connected through a horizontal pivot 29 with the end link of achain 30. The opposite end of the chain 30 is provided with a socketblock 31 into which a rod 32 is threaded.

The rod 32 extends through an ear 33 of a bracket 34 which is adjustablysecured to the hanger. A coil spring 35 surrounds the portion of the rod32 which extends outward beyond the ear 33 and is held under compressionby means of a cap 36 fixed on the outer end of the rod.

The bracket 34 is mounted on the hanger by means of an car 37 whichsurrounds and snugly fits a supporting sleeve 38. A headed screw 39extends through the ear 3'7 and the sleeve 38, and is threaded into thehanger. The head of the screw bears against the outer face of the ear3'7 and limits approach of the bracket 34 toward the shaft 6.

The mechanism 23-38 at the top of a leaf 4 is duplicated in invertedform at the bottom of said leaf. These mechanisms normally maintain theleaf firmly in a radial position, but when excessive pressure is appliedeither deliberately by an operator, or by persons rushing at the door ina panic, the leaf swings about the common axis of one pair of alignedpins 14, 18. The roller 26, moving with the door hanger, cams the latch24 upward and causes the top of the latch to assume a substantiallyhorizontal position flush with, or a little above, the tops of theadjacent pintle blocks 11. As the leaf is swung toward a collapsedposition the swivel link is turned and caused to ride upon the upperface of an adjacent pintle block. The latch 24 is thus retained in anelevated position free to be cleared by the returning roller when thedoor leaf is returned to normal position. The lugs 40 are provided onthe blocks 11 and 12 for the purpose of extending the supportingsurfaces on which the swivel link may ride.

As soon as the cam face of the latch 24 clears the roller 26 theresistance of the leaf tofolding movement is greatly reduced and theleaf may be easily folded to a completely collapsed position.

As has been stated, the hanger mechanism is duplicated in inverted format the lower end of each leaf 4. In the case of this inverted mechanismthe swivel link is normally held upward by the spring and isdepressed-when the leaf is moved toward collapsed position. The lugs 41cooperate with the depressed swivel link in the same manner that thelugs 40 cooperate with the elevated swivel link.

. Each of the leaves 4 may be referred to as an upper hung leaf, sinceit derives its support from the upper hub, while each of the leaves 5may be referred to as a lower hung leaf, since it derives its supportfrom the lower hub. In each lower hung leaf the hanger structure at theupper end of the leaf is the same as the hanger structure at the lowerend of an upper hung leaf, namely, it isinverted with relation to thehanger structure at the upper end of an upper hung leaf, while thehanger structure at the lower end of a lower hung leaf is a duplicate ofthe hanger structure at the upper end of an upper hung leaf.

Above the upper hangers and just beneath the ceiling wall 3 provision ismade of means for limiting the speed at which the leaves maybe moved toand from collapsed condition and for determining the collapsed positionsof the leaves. For this purpose provision is made of a lower cam disc 42and an upper cam disc 43, the discs being fixed to one another and thelatter disc being keyed to the shaft 6. Bearing blocks 44 and 45 aresecured to the hangers of the leaves 4 and 5, respectively, andcooperate, respectively, with the discs 43 and 42 for producing frictionand for determining the collapsed positions of the leaves. As seen inFigures 6 and 8, the bearing block 44 normally rests in angulardepressions of both discs. The same thing is true of the bearing block45. When an upper hung leaf 4 is swung from normal position to thedotted outline position indicated by 40!. in Figure 8, the swingingmovement is substantially about the center of a pin 14 of the upper hub.The curved surface 46 of the lower disc approaches this center, andhence the bearing block 44 leaves engagement with the disc surface 46and no obstruction is offered. The curved surface 47 of the upper disc,however, is generally concentric with the axis of the pin referred to,but is bluntly serrated so that the spring 35 of the leaf which is beingswung is put under slightly increased stress intermittently during thisswinging movement. Beyond the surface 4'7 the disc 43 is provided with ashallow notch 48 into which the bearing block is drawn. The disc thusserves as a detent for yield ingly retaining the leaf 4 in the positionmarked 4a in Figure 8. When it is desired to swing the leaf beyond theposition marked 40., it may be forced beyond the shallow notch and ontothe surface 49 which is of the same contour as the surface 47. The leafin this case finally enters a notch '50 of the upper disc beyond whichit cannot be moved. As seen in Figure 8, the upper right hand quarter ofthe upper disc is a duplicate (or rather a mirror image) of the lowerright hand quarter, and the left half of the disc is a duplicate (orrather-a mirror image) of the right half. The'lower disc 42 is of thesame contour as the upper disc 43 and cooperates with the lower hungleaves 5 in the manner in which the upper disc cooperates with the upperhung leaves 4. In Figure 8 upper and lower hung leaves are shown swungthrough forty-five degrees each to the positions 4a and 5a,respectively, and the other upper and lower hung leaves are shown swungthrough one hundred and thirty-five degrees to the positions 4b and 5b,respectively. The normal engagement of the bearing blocks 44 with thelower disc, and of the bearing blocks 45 with the upper disc, serves toseal the structure against drafts.

Above the upper disc 43 provision is made of a smaller disc 51 forsealing the space between said disc 43 and the ceiling wall 3. The disc51 has screws 52 threaded into it. These screws pass freely through theupper disc 43 and have their heads freely received in openings 53 formedin the lower disc 42. The heads of the screws are located below theupper disc 43 and are adapted to bear against the lower face thereof.Coil springs 54 surround the shanks of the screws 52 and urge thesealing disc 51 upward. The disc 51 has a marginal flange which fitswithin a flange of the disc 43. The disc 51 is capable of telescopingsnugly into the disc 43 and is held projected against the ceiling wall 3by the springs 54. The telescoping of the disc 51 into the disc 43enables the central shaft to be tilted when required in conjunction withthe movement of the shaft and the folded leaves to one side of the dooropening.

Weather stripping 55 afiixed to the upper edges of the leaves extendsinward to the periphery of the disc 51. Weather stripping 56 may also beprovided between the inner edges of the leaves and the shaft 6.

While we have illustrated and described in detail certain preferredforms of our invention, it is to be understood that changes may be madetherein and the invention embodied in other structures. We do not,therefore, desire to limit ourselves to the specific constructionillustrated, but intend to cover our invention broadly in whatever formits principle may be utilized.

We claim:

1. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support and arranged in diametrically opposedpairs, and upper and lower leaf hubs fixed on the central support, oneof the hubs being provided at the upper side thereof with a pair ofupwardly extending supporting pivot members for each leaf of one pair ofopposed leaves and the other being provided at the upper side thereofwith a pair of upwardly extending supporting pivot members for each leafof the other pair of opposed leaves.

2. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support and arranged in diametrically opposedpairs, and upper and lower leaf hubs fixed on the central support, eachhub including four upwardly extending quadrangularly related pintle pinsand four downwardly extending quadrangularly related pintle pins, thedownwardly extending pins of one hub being in alignment with theupwardly extending pins of the other hub, each leaf of one opposed pairhaving bearing against two upwardly extending pins at one side of theupper hub and the aligned downwardly extending pins of the lower hub andadapted to fold about the common axis of either pair of'aligned pins,and each leaf of the other opposed pair having bearing against twoupwardly extending pins at one side of the lower hub and the aligneddownwardly extending pins of the upper hub and adapted to fold about thecommon axis of either pair of aligned pins.

3. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support;leaves, foldably mounted on the support and arranged in diametricallyopposed pairs, and upper and lower leaf hubs fixed on the centralsupport, the weight of one pair of opposed leaves being sustainedentirely by the upper hub and the Weight of the other pair beingsustained entirely by the lower hub.

4. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support and arranged in diametrically opposedpairs, and upper and lower leaf hubs fixed on the central support, eachhub including upwardly and downwardly extending bearing members, onepair of opposed leaves being arranged to coact with the upwardlyextending bearing members of one hub and the downwardly extendingbearing members of the second hub, and the other pair of opposed leavesbeing arranged to coact with the upwardly extending bearing members ofthe second hub and with the downwardly extending bearing members of thefirst hub.

5. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support and arranged in diametrically opposedpairs, and upper and lower leaf hubs fixed on the central support,bearings on the upper hub comprising in each instance bearings utilizingmore than a quadrant of the top of the hub for each leaf and bearings onthe lower hub comprising in each instance bearings utilizing more than aquadrant of the top of the lower hub for each leaf, one pair of opposedleaves being supported at the upper side of the upper hub and the otherpair of opposed leaves bing supported at the upper side of the lowerhub.

6. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support and means normally retaining the leavesin radial positions, comprising in each instance cooperative latchingmembers on the leaf and the central support, including a verticallydisplaceable, horizontally pivoted, cam latch and spring means actingsubstantially horizontally upon said cam latch for opposingdisengagement of said latching members.

'7. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support,leaves foldably mounted on the support and means normally retaining theleaves in radial positions, comprising in each instance a forcemultiplying latch on the central support, a member on the leaf adaptedto be partially embraced by the latch, a spring carried by the leaf andflexible tension means connecting the spring in radial positions,comprising in each instance a force multiplying latch on the centralsupport, a member on the leaf adapted to be partially em- ,braced by thelatch, a spring carried by the leaf and flexible tension meansconnecting the spring to the latch, comprising a chain having an endlink connected to the latch through a pivot extending transversely ofthe latch pivot, said end link being adapted to ride against theassociated hub in the folding and return movements of the leaf and tomaintain the displaced latch clear of the latch engaging member on theleaf during the return movement.

9. In a revolving door, in combination, a rotary central support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means for controlling the speed ofthe leaves in their folding and return movements, comprising in eachinstance a bearing member fixed on the leaf and a fixed member on thecentral support cooperating therewith and having a serrated peripheralsurface whereby the resistvance to leaf movement is intermittently in-

